Go to page

Amtrak officials said a new safety mechanism called “positive train control” was not activated at the time of the derailment. The train was traveling on an inaugural run of a high-speed service route.

Positive train control is a system meant to automatically stop trains before certain accidents happen, like train-to-train collisions and derailments caused by excessive speed. After a 2008 crash in California, a new law required trains across the country to install the technology by the end of 2015, the Hill reported.

Positive train control is a system meant to automatically stop trains before certain accidents happen, like train-to-train collisions and derailments caused by excessive speed. After a 2008 crash in California, a new law required trains across the country to install the technology by the end of 2015, the Hill reported.

But as the deadline approached, Congress extended it until the end of 2018, after receiving complaints from freight and commuter railroad companies about the difficulty of converting to the new system. The extension was part of a five-year highway bill compromise between the House and Senate that President Barack Obama signed into law.

Positive train control is a system meant to automatically stop trains before certain accidents happen, like train-to-train collisions and derailments caused by excessive speed. After a 2008 crash in California, a new law required trains across the country to install the technology by the end of 2015, the Hill reported.

But as the deadline approached, Congress extended it until the end of 2018, after receiving complaints from freight and commuter railroad companies about the difficulty of converting to the new system. The extension was part of a five-year highway bill compromise between the House and Senate that President Barack Obama signed into law.

Political Hotwire

Founded in 2005, Political Hotwire is a political forum to discuss current events, world news, and political topics. We welcome all political ideologies to discuss all political issues from civil rights to business and industry.